Strength
by HaganeNoRekinjutsushi
Summary: Exactly how much strength does it take to cling to life? This story is (or will be) a collection of AUs with different POVs and Outcomes centered around a certain scene from the anime/manga. This is based off of one of my both favorite and least favorite scenes (episode 23/ chapter 46/7), because it brings out the best in my favorite characters through pain and hurt.
1. How it All Started

Chapter 1: How It All Started*

 ***I blame Wrath (*｀へ** **´*)**

 **AN: So this story is pretty much a lot of AUs of the same fma(b) scene*, each with different endings and POVs. Most will probably be narrated by Ling, but we should get a few narrated by Lan Fan, Riza, and maybe even Dr. Knox; pretty much anyone who's involved with the whole ordeal. Also, in the parts that reflect the actual storyline, the lines and actions are mostly written from my memory/imagination, so it won't be word for word. Also, each AU will take up multiple chapters (4 or so),**

 ***that was my original plan, but it may or may not happen (see Chapter 3's AN for more details).**

 **Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is not mine in any way, nor will it ever be *sob***

 **P.S. The first chapter is (mostly) a not-so quick how-it-all-started sort of thing.**

 _Italics_ =First-Person thoughts

* * *

It was a warm day with a slight breeze, calm and quiet, as Ling stood on top of a building, staring across the vast layout of Central City. Really, Amestris was such a beautiful country. Even Ling found it hard to believe in the evil hidden behind the peaceful mask.

He glanced to the right where stood his childhood friend and sworn protector, Lan Fan. She was outfitted in her Xingese guard uniform, complete with a yang mask. He hated that mask. He wouldn't dare say it aloud, but she was really pretty without it. _With her_ , he thought silently, _the mask is the source of the evil_. Even with her fine-tuned combat skills, she really was kind and merciful. He never would've thought, even for a moment, that she was too merciful. As such, he never would believe that the one thing that kept her from going too far would be the same force to defeat her.

The downfall of the invincible, merciful warrior.

"Young Lord."

"Hmm?" Ling snapped out of his thoughtful trance. "Ah! They're here!"

He looked down on the impending Homunculus. Its many layers of fat flapped as it ran. Was this a joke?! All that fearful talk about Homunculi, and this is what appears to fight them? Despite the appearance of the creature, the air almost thrummed with the energy it emitted. "Let's go, Lan Fan."

They leaped off the building almost weightlessly, in order to get a better view of the immediate threat. "Hello there!" Ling shouted down to the Homunculus. "We'll need to borrow your immortal heart for a moment, 'Kay?"

"There's no point in hiding," Lan Fan cut in. "We can trace your aura."

The Homunculus didn't acknowledge their words. Instead, it ran up to Lan Fan with a determined cry of "Eat you!", only to be kicked in the face by one of her metal-tipped combat boots. Ling liked watching her fight. Sometimes he just needed a reminder that, despite her pretty face, she was strong.

He stiffened up as something in the corner of his eye flashed. He looked down to the ground to see a man unsheathing dual-wielded swords.

"Lan Fan! Incoming!" He yelled down to her.

The man was scouting out his plan of attack.

"LAN FAN!" He shouted louder. This time she heard, but she looked up at him, distracted.

The man was running, a deadly gleam in his eyes.

In the second of reaction that she had, she held up her kunai in defense as she shouted down, "I have no fight here with a human. Leave."

A flash of metal. She managed to block one of the swords and dampen the blow of the other, but she lost her balance as it bit deep into her shoulder. Ling heard an agonizing scream as his loyal companion fell towards the ground, headfirst.

"LAN FAN!"

He heard a mumbled conversation between their two enemies until the larger one, the homunculus, jumped up with another war cry of "Eat you!"

"Not today." Ling mumbled dangerously. He leaped off his stand on the building and determinedly slashed his sword at the creature, sending a spray of blood into the warm air. As he landed on the ground, he ran over to his guard. "Hey, Lan Fan! Answer me!" There was no response. She lay in a widening pool of blood, unconscious, and breathing heavily. He lifted her up, as gently as he could, and hoisted her over his shoulder.

Without a second thought, he held up his sword in defense, and began to fight the only person to ever disable his friend.

The two swords made an indiscernible blur in the air. Ling flinched as his enemy's sword nicked his face, making a thin line of blood.

"You've had some training..." mused the man. "You know to stay to my blind side." He indicated his black eyepatch, worn over his left eye.

Ling gave no response, and kept fighting with Lan Fan draped limply over his shoulder.

A yell of "Gluttony!" From Ling's opponent summoned the newly regenerated homunculus. It clasped it's hands together and, before Ling could react, slammed them into his stomach. With a wild gasp, he flew off of the roof and crashed through the window of a corresponding building. He rolled over several times before coming to a stop, wheezing. A sudden thought of his injured companion lured him back into reality. "Lan...Fan," he groaned. She had practically smashed through the window headfirst. He could only hope that she wasn't injured more.

"Nnn..." Came the quiet voice, to his right. She was there, but clearly in a lot of pain.

The small noise almost broke Ling's heart, but it indicated that his warrior had been shocked into consciousness. At least she was alive. "I'm here." He reached out for her hand to reassure her. Suddenly the air pulsed with energy. Ling quickly but gently lifted his injured friend back onto his shoulder, just as the homunculus and Mr. Eyepatch landed in front of the broken window frame. Ling had been too rushed to notice it before, but the man wore a blue Amestrian military uniform. He did not like the direction that this was going.

"How convenient. Now nobody can see us," mused the military man. "Now, I have some questions for you."

Ling cast his eyes around for a distraction. They finally landed on the man's shoulder badge. His eyes widened. "You're the highest ranking man in the country, and this is how you treat your people?!"

"They obey me and cooperate with me. Is that not all I should require of them? Should I want them to serve me, bow to me, as is asked of your countrymen?"

He had hit a soft spot. Ling stiffened up in anger. He quickly tapped Lan Fan's leg. "'A king is no king without his people.' King Bradley ," he said, recalling the name,"you will never be a true king."

"Fool," came the retort, "There is no such thing as a true king!"

Then came the flash bomb. Lan Fan sure had perfect timing. Ling sensed around for the air flow, signaling a door. The door is...over there. He ran towards the corner of the room. A sword sliced through the air, impaling the wall right in front of his face.

"Not so fast."

Ling gasped, turning on the spot.

"What's wrong? I do have another eye, you know."

The Furher had removed his eyepatch. In it's place, a scar ran across his eyelid, but his eye seemed to work fine. And, tattooed on his eyeball, was the mark of a homunculus. An Ourosborus tattoo.

He had been told by Ed that this symbol was one only found on a homunculus, in various places on the body. That explained why the highest-ranking officer in the country was out fighting foreigners with a homunculus at his side. He was a homunculus.

A thousand questions raced through Ling's mind. _How hasn't anyone noticed? Doesn't he have a wife? How do you even tattoo someone's eyeball?_ And, most importantly: _How can I not sense his presence? A philosopher's stone made of thousands of lives is required for a homunculus, so we should be able to sense him!_

A large 'boom' brought him back into reality. Lan Fan had just thrown a smoke bomb. Ling didn't hesitate. He ran and jumped through the empty window, falling harshly downward. He landed on his feet in a squatting position. It hurt, but Lan Fan was hurt even worse. He had to get her away from here; out of the imminent danger. He allowed himself a few seconds before breaking into a run. His friend had gone limp again, and unconsciousness had settled over her. He was worried to death about her. She was bleeding a lot. Another hour, and he didn't even think that a hospital could help her. He needed to get into a crowd, so he could have eyewitnesses, maybe find a healer. He ran into an alleyway, hoping beyond hope that it actually led somewhere populated. One thing was for sure: No one he knew was dying today. He wouldn't allow it.

* * *

 **Like it? Hate it? If that was how it started, you probably already know the angsty scene (for me, at least) that the AU's are actually centered on. Nobody likes when their favorite character gets hurt... ( ;_; )**


	2. Hospital

Chapter 2: Hospital 

**So... This is a really long chapter, probably my longest ever, so I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed or out-of-character (or really random)...**

 **Bold** =Xingese

 _Italics_ =First-Person thoughts

* * *

He was running. His shoulder felt heavy under the weight of his injured friend, but that was nothing compared to the burden of being the cause of her pain that rested on his mind. The air was still and silent except for the sound of his own ragged breathing and the blood rushing through his ears, as his feet hit the pavement and his warrior's blood splattered onto the cold ground.

A ragged intake of breath.

"Y-young...Lord..."

Ling tensed up as he heard the pain in her voice. It obviously took her a lot of strength even to just speak. He could tell that she had something important to say.

"I-I can't..move my arm..." _Can't move her arm?! The cut's that deep?! It probably cut through her nerves.._."Don't speak. Don't worry. I'll get you out of this. You'll be fine, I promise." Even to himself, it sounded like an empty promise, still trying to convince himself.

He could almost hear her small smile, indicating that she appreciated his attempt to reassure her. "It...may be true that there is no king without his people, ...but without their king the people have no sense of purpose. Young Lord...y-y ou must survive to preserve the hopes of our clan."

"...Wh-what are you saying?!" Ling asked precariously. What was she thinking?!

"There are many things worth throwing away for a great cause."

"What are you thinking?!"

He was seriously scared.

The 'shing' of a knife.

"Lan Fan, no!" He completely forbid it. "No!"

He felt her hesitate.

"Come on! We can find another way!"

"..."

"...Okay."

That's all it took. Now it was all on him. If he couldn't get her out of here...

He gently lifted her onto the ground. He flung off his yellow happi coat and wrapped it around her injured shoulder to staunch the blood.

"Wait here for a second." He told her. Like she can go anywhere in her condition.

He ran up to a stray dog, lurking around the alley walls. He didn't want to hurt it, but that was the only way they could possibly make it out alive; their enemies were right on their tail. He could feel it. He grabbed the dog's tail with a quiet "I'm sorry", and sliced it in half. The dog whined loudly, then barked once, and sprinted away towards the dead end.

He turned back to Lan Fan. Looking around, he found a manhole cover, leading into a sewer. He bent down and removed the cover. He turned back to his guard. She was trying to get up, but was having a lot of trouble not being able to use her arm. She winced whenever it moved.

Without a word, he walked over to help her. Together they managed to both climb down the ladder. As Ling pulled the cover back into place, he had a sudden feeling of panic. Less than an hour ago, his guard had been able to launch herself into a double backflip, ten feet off of the ground. Now she could hardly stand up. He was probably more scared and worried than she was. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't afford to think about the past. He needed to be here, in the present. He climbed back down to Lan Fan.

They sloshed along in the sewer until they came to a manhole above which they could hear yelling and alchemical explosions.

"Lan Fan."

She looked up at him.

"I-I need to go help out. I promised."

"Okay." She removed her good arm from around his shoulders and instead leaned on the wall for support.

"Keep going until you find another ladder. I'll meet you there."

"Okay."

Her response was so simple and relenting. He felt extremely guilty, leaving her in these horrible conditions to fend for herself.

He started climbing up the ladder, which was difficult with his heavy conscious.

* * *

They sped around the corner. "Ling Yao, isn't it? I was told you promised to catch a homunculus. An admirable feat." As if in response, the tightly-bound homunculus moaned from its place in the trunk. _Serves you right,_ Ling thought bitterly. The lady behind the wheel spoke again. "As so, I've been ordered to take you to an abandoned cabin on the outskirts of Central City."

"What?! No!" Ling exclaimed.

"Why? What's wr-"

"M-my companion! We need to pick her up!"

The lady frowned. "We don't have that kind of time."

"SHE DOESN'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME!" Ling was surprised by his own loud voice. "Please," He quieted his voice down. "She's...really hurt. I promised her I'd be back..." His eyes grew warm. He couldn't, wouldn't lose her.

"Which way?"

Ling silently pointed her around to Lan Fan's approximate position, assuming she even made the walk. He jumped out of the car before it even stopped. They were in the middle of another alleyway. He found a entrance. He removed the cover and recklessly jumped in. "Lan Fan!" He called. "LAN FAN!" He ran along the tunnel in way he told her to go. He ran and ran and ran, calling her name all the while. He finally came upon a warm black and red lump leaning heavily on the wall, half emerged in the dirty water. "Lan Fan..." He picked her up in both arms. She felt warm, but she was shivering. As he walked, he brought his ear close to her face to listen for breath. He could hardly hear it. At least she was breathing.

At least she was alive.

He found the ladder and somehow managed to get both of them through the small opening. The woman in the car (who had continuedly neglected to tell him her name) stared at them as Ling carried his best friend in his arms. Now that they were back in the twilight, he could see the lack of color in her red-speckled face. He walked over and gently laid his unconscious friend in the back of the car, then walked to the other side to sit by her head and check her heartbeat. Her caring heart was beating about 37 times a minute. This was not happening.

"What happened to _her_?" Asked the driver, shocked.

Ling thought of the best way to respond. "She was... knocked down from a height of about fifteen feet headfirst, by a sword, and, as you can see, it cut her nerves. She has a slight concussion and has no feeling or movement in her arm. She's been on-and-off unconscious since it happened." He almost felt relieved to let it all out, onto another person who could help them. However, it scared him more than ever to finally be forced to admit to the fact that she might not be 'okay'.

"How long has it been? Since she got injured?"

"Umm..." She got hurt, they got knocked through a window, he talked, he ran, they escaped, he captured a homunculus, she drove, he found her, and now they were back on the road. How long had it been? "A-almost an hour..."

"Okay." The woman made a sharp U-turn.

"What- Where are we going?"

"We need to get her to a hospital. If she's really as bad as you say, then she's in serious trouble. Oh, and there's a blanket under that seat that she can use. You know, to prevent shock."

"O-oh. Thank you Ms..."

"Riza. Riza Hawkeye, 1st lieutenant in the Amestrian Military."

"Yeah...thanks."

Ling felt under the seat for the blanket, and, upon finding it, laid it over his companion. He continued to manually monitor her breathing and pulse rate. Her breathing had evened out a bit, but it was still extremely shallow. Her heart rate hadn't improved. On the contrary, it had become less distinguished and slower.

"How's she doing?"

"Her breathing's steadier, but her pulse is...slow..."

"Do you know CPR?"

The question caught him off guard. "...yes."

"Well, good. She might need it. If her heart reaches 10 beats a minute, then it's mandatory if she's going to live."

Ling nodded and re-checked her pulse. 22. Why couldn't he do more for her?! Here she was, dying, and he was helpless. All he could do was sit here and pray that she would be alright. Once they reached the hospital, they would take her away, and he wouldn't even be able to just be there for her. He pulled her head into his lap and bent down for a closer look at her shoulder. He peeled away his blood- soaked jacket to look at the wound. The skin around it frayed away from the gash. It was way more than a thin sword cut. There was a big gap separating her arm from her shoulder. It would take a miracle to fix that. Maybe if there was a skilled alkahestrist... No, this was Amestris, the land of alchemy. Alchemy wasn't a healing art. Can this situation get any worse? He thought to himself as he checked her heart rate for a fourth time. 18. Come on... Stay with me...

The car lurched to a stop.

"Huh?"

"We're here. The emergency room is right in there. I'll come in once I park the car."

"Mmmm-hmm" Ling picked his friend up as gently as possible in his arms.

"Nnn..."

Ling smiled lightly. "It's okay Lan Fan. We're at the hospital now. You'll be okay." it felt weird, taking to her in terms of simple, almost childish words.

She shifted lightly in his arms. Her bad arm, which had been rested on her chest, fell, dangling in the air.

She gasped sharply, eyes wide. "Agh..." She sank back into his arms, completely limp.

For some reason, this time scared him. It was just too much.

* * *

 _Will she ever wake up?_

* * *

He finally found the mental strength to run through the clear glass doors of the building in front of them, bursting into the emergency waiting room. He ran up to the front desk. The secretary was considerate enough to look genuinely worried and surprised.

"What happened to her?!"

"She...fell and got cut. She's lost all feeling and movement in her left arm, and might have a minor concussion. She's been like this for over an hour. Please..."

The secretary said something into a communication device, and a few seconds later four doctors came out of a door with a rolling bed.

"Quick. Place her on this."

Ling laid her down as gently as possible.

"Come with me." A doctor split away from the group, as the rest rolled the occupied bed away at a running pace. "We need to get you cleaned up."

Only now did Ling realize that he was shirtless and covered in his friend's blood. He turned around and realized that after her arm had fallen less than a foot off her chest, it had started bleeding profusely more, leaving a trail on the shiny white floors.

He realized that the doctor was still waiting for his response. "Oh, yeah...sorry..."

"It's fine. This way."

He was lead away into a basic check-up room.

"Here." The doctor handed him a towel and a hospital shirt.

"T-thanks." He walked over to the sink as the doctor spoke from behind.

"You can call me Nurse Steve. I mostly just help out with lesser injuries. Nothing like the one your friend there had." Ling stayed silent. "Don't worry. She's in good hands. What's her name?"

"L-Lan Fan."

"Hm. That's a pretty name." He pulled out a piece of paper. "Might as well get this over with. We need all of her personal information, especially if she's a minor. So...does she have a last name?"

He thought for a moment, then decided on her 'last name'.

"Yao. Y-A-O."

"Okay... Age?"

"Fourteen."

"Race?"

"Xingese."

"Wow. Okay...are you related to her at all?"

"Not that I know of."

"Wait...what's your name?"

"Ling Yao"

"And you have the same surname?"

"Our last names are based off our clan name."

"What about her parents? Where are they? Do they know she's here?"

"They've been dead since she was three."

"I-I'm sorry. Does she have any other relatives?"

"Well-"

The door burst open, and a doctor stepped in.

"Steve! We need your help!" He turned to Ling. "The girl, does she have any allergies?!"

"N-not that I know of..."

"Has she ever been hospitalized by an open wound before?"

"N-no...Why?"

"We're trying to stabilize her position, and she's reacting negatively to a disinfectant spray." He turned toward the door. "Follow me." He walked out of the room. Steve and Ling followed him.

They turned into a white surgical room where two men rushed about in the middle of a hurried conversation. There was a nauseating smell of blood and disinfectants. A slow, steady beeping came from a heart monitor. His eyes rested on the center of the room and the source of the worry.

Lan Fan lay on a surgical table in front of him. They had transferred her into a hospital gown, and she had a light blanket thrown over her chest. There were two drips running into her right arm: one for pain and the other supplying blood. There were electrical pads on the skin at the base of her neck, monitoring her pulse and blood pressure. Sweat beaded on her face, trickling down her cheeks like unshed tears until it was blocked by the oxygen tube that ran under her nose. Her hair strayed away from her pale face in a way that made her seem unearthly calm and relaxed.

"What was her reaction?"

"To the allergen? She's hyperventilating, which, in her state, is very bad."

Ling watched as one of the surgeons removed the oxygen tube and instead placed a mask over her nose and mouth.

It killed him to see her like this. If it took this long just to stabilize her..."Wait...Weren't you going to operate on her arm?"

"No." The answer came from the surgeon that had put the mask on her. "Ww aren't allowed until her breathing is normal and she can sustain consciousness for up to an hour."

The fourth surgeon in the room spoke. "Sir, I'm afraid I need you to step out of the room. Steven will escort you to a waiting area and give you an overview of our procedures."

He shot a meaningful glance at Steve, who in turn took Ling's arm and led him out of the the room.

As he walked along the long hallway, Ling's mind wandered. I've never seen her in such a vulnerable state...Fu would never approve anything near this, putting his granddaughter's life in somebody else's hands... Fu... How could I face him?! Lan Fan might die and he won't know about it until he comes back... NO. She won't die. She's strong. She knows that. She'll hold on as long as she can. Lan Fan... I'm so sorry...It's all my fault. All my fault...

"Um...Ling? We're here." They stood in a deserted room filled with chairs. He didn't hesitate to plop down in one.

"I'm supposed to tell you our procedures now... So...Once they get her stabilized they're going to try to repair the nerves where her shoulder was cut."

"H-how big are the chances that she'll regain movement?"

"Not big. Small. Very small."

 _Small?! No! If they can't fix her arm, then..._

"If they can't repair the nerves, the only other choice is amputation."

"NO!" Ling stood up out of haste and anger. He couldn't put her through that. "Do you even understand what she's been through today?! I WON'T ALLOW IT!"

"I-I'm sorry sir. Those are our procedures. We can't just stop halfway and leave her with a limp arm for the rest of her life."

 _The rest of her life..._ He sounded so certain that she would live.

"If it comes down to it, and we can't heal her arm, T-then there is the possibility of automail..."

 _Automail... Like the Fullmetal Alchemist..._

Wait. This had gone too far. Lan Fan was still here, in this hospital. Her arm was still attached. She was still alive.

"A-alright. Do what you need to. But... Please try. She's strong. She can handle anything that comes with a repaired arm. Don't give up unless it's impossible. Please... Please..."

"Alright. Thank You. We'll give it our best shot." He walked away, leaving Ling to his worried thoughts.

A few minutes later, the door reopened and Riza stepped in.

"There you are. I was looking for you. I was letting my superior know about our situation after I parked the car. How is she?"

"She had an allergic reaction to a disinfectant spray. Once they get her condition stabilized, they'll try to repair her nerves. If not..." He choked up. "If- if not, the only other choice is... is r-removing it. H-her arm..." He felt something warm slide down his cheek. He buried hid face in his hands and let out all of the feelings he had been storing inside of him since this afternoon. It was too much.

* * *

She was dying...


	3. Life

Chapter 3: Life

 **Well... to start off, its obvious that the title is a spoiler. Come on, people! I wouldn't kill off my favorite character! ...Or would I...Hmm...*evil grin* Anyways, I wrote/published this story all at once, and it was rather a while ago. I might continue it, if you would like me too... Tell me how you like it! It's fine if you don't feel like writing a review (to be honest, I rarely (never) do myself...) like it if you want, that will be my notice should you be interested in reading more...**

 **Bold:** Xingese

 _Italics:_ First person thoughts **(From Ling)**

* * *

He was jolted awake half an hour later by Riza.

"Whuh?..."

"You fell asleep. They need to talk to you." She indicated a spot somewhere over his shoulder. He spun around to a surgeon standing business-like in the hall.

Ling jolted awake with a sudden rush of adrenaline. "Is she okay?!"

The doctor avoided his question. "Come with me."

"Why?! What's wrong?" His question was avoided once again.

They turned into another, different room. A curtain obscured their way. The surgeon turned to face him.

"Her name is Lanfan Yao right?" He didn't wait for a response. "We woke her up, but she started panicking. We put her under a light sedative. The problem is that she isn't speaking Amestrian, and she won't respond to us. She can speak Amestrian?-"

"Yeah... But she's never acted like this before... Is this the only reason you want me?" he asked, suspicious.

"Don't worry. We would've let you in to see her anyways, but we normally would wait until she calmed down on her own... You're allowed in now."

"Thank you." Ling pushed the curtain aside, afraid of what he would see.

There she lay on her bed, eyes open. She held her right hand over her bandaged shoulder. She still had a drip in her arm, but they had stopped monitoring her pulse. He walked over, kneeling at her bedside.

 **"Hey, Lan Fan..."** He brushed some hair away from her face as he spoke again in Xingese. **"How you feeling?"**

She turned to look at him. **"L-Ling?"**

He was taken aback. She never addressed him with his name. It worried him. Even so, he replied calmly, using simple words. **"Yeah. You're right. It's me, Lan. I'm right here."**

 **"W-where am I? My arm..."**

 **"You're at Central Hospital. You were...in a really bad state. The doctors here practically brought you back to life."**

 **"I-I was that bad?"**

He almost felt like lying to her, but immediately thought better of it. **"Yes. But you're fine now."**

That was when one of the surgeons decided to speak up with some rather important news.

"Oh yeah, we're required to tell you...For a short amount of time during her, um, Recovery, she did become medically dead. Her heart shut down for about five minutes before we could get it restarted."

" _ **What?!"**_ Ling snapped. He glared up at the surgeon. _How could they just_ _ **forget**_ _to tell him something like this?!_

A small noise from his guard directed his attention back to her. She spoke in mumbled Amestrian this time.

"I...was dead? I- how-?"

Nurse Steve spoke up. "I know it's a lot to take in. You just rest for now. You've lost a lot of strength, which you'll be needing soon enough."

Ling hated to voice his fears, but he needed to know. "Are you going to operate on her arm today?"

"Yes. If we don't, she could end up hurting it more."

Ling closed his eyes for a moment, then rested them on Lan Fan's mangled shoulder. He reached an hand out and rested it on top of her left one, not really thinking that she couldn't feel it for lack of nerves.

 **"I'm sorry... So sorry... Th-there's only a small chance of healing your arm. I- there's only one alternative. They'll have to...remove it. A-amputation. I'm so sorry... Lan Fan... It's all my fault..."**

 **"No."** She spoke up. **"I-if you hadn't stopped me, I w-wouldn't have my arm, probably not even my life. You saved me. Please don't blame yourself." She smiled. "Th-thank you for... saving me..."**

There were tears in both of their eyes. They stayed like that for a while: Lan Fan holding her shoulder, Ling holding her hand, and both of them realizing, for the first time, just how precious life is.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ling blinked hard, then looked up at the closest medic.

"When are they going to start the operation?"

"Whenever she's ready. Best not to rush it."

Lan Fan, now sitting upright, broke into the conversation. "I'm ready. H-how long will it take?"

"It depends on how it works out. If we are able to fix your nerves, it'll take...about two and a half hours. If that fails, it might

take up to four hours."

"I assume I won't be awake during this...ordeal?"

"You'll be under heavy pain medication and, yes, anesthesia."

"A-alright. Can he come with me?" She indicated Ling.

"Yes, while we distribute the medication."

She turned to Ling, who had been trying to wrap his mind around the situation. **"Y-young Lord..c-could you stay with me...p-please?"**

 **"Of course."** Ling stood up. "We're ready."

The three doctors in the room heeded his words. They told Lan Fan to lay back down, and rolled her bed out into the hallway again. Ling kept in pace with them, moving along until they reached one of the rooms dubbed 'Limb and Amputation Operative Room'. They rolled his friend in, and he watched as they gently transferred her to another table.

"We're going to switch the drip to the anesthesia, so it'll be real quick. It'll be over before you know it."

Ling took her right hand this time, and watched as her breathing evened out and her eyes closed once more.

* * *

When Ling returned to the waiting room, he found more people waiting for him. Edward and Alphonse Elric were there, along with another black-haired man in a military uniform. They all look worried. Ed spoke first. "What happened? We were told that Lan Fan got hurt, but no one said anything about surgery!"

Ling swallowed, not feeling up to relaying the afternoon's events yet again. He took a deep breath. "She got cut on her shoulder and lost all movement and feeling in her left arm. We got her here after almost an hour of nonstop bleeding. It took them over an hour for them to get her into a 'stabilized' position, meaning that she could sustain consciousness. She just now went into surgery for her arm. If they can't get it to work again, they'll have to remove it completely. S-so far, she's been really strong through this. I just hope... I mean... Imagine. Going to sleep, and waking up without an arm..."

His audience just stared at him with mingled looks of shock and horror on their faces, all except for Al, whose body was a suit of armor.

"..."

"I-I'm so sorry... Ling..." Ed looked up at him. Ed, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was the only one of the group to have ever been in a situation like this; he had lost both his left leg and right arm in an accident when he was younger, and now sported mechanical 'automail' limbs.

"How could I have gotten you into this?! It's all my-"

"It's not your fault, Ed. I volunteered for this mission. I failed to protect her, for once."

The military man spoke up. "Ling Yao, isn't it? I'm

Colonel Roy Mustang, Fullmetal's superior officer. It may not be the best time, but I would like to thank you for helping out in the Maria Ross case."

"You're welcome. It wasn't that big of a deal, really."

"I owe you one."

Ling smiled at his newfound friend.

Colonel Mustang spoke again, this time with a more serious tone. "The girl... Lan Fan right? She's your friend?"

"Yes, but more officially she's my bodyguard. Her grandfather, Fu, is the one taking the 2nd lieutenant to Xing."

"Forgive me for asking, but why would you need bodyguards?"

"Oh...yeah. I'm the twelfth in succession to the throne... My father's the emperor, you see. It's really not that big of a deal."

"You're a prince, Hmm? Well nice to meet you, and welcome to Amestris!" They shook hands.

Ed, who had avidly been listening to their conversation, broke in. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

Ling nodded. "You go on ahead. I'm not that hungry."

Ed and the Colonel left to find a snack bar.

Al, who was the only other one in the room, turned to Ling. "You sure you're feeling okay?"

"...No." He probably would've lied to anyone else, but Al seemed to have a good understanding of other people and their feelings.

They sat in silence for a while after their short conversation. There was hardly any sense of how long they sat there, whether it was for minutes, hours, or even days. Maybe no time even passed at all, though it seemed like forever.

* * *

 _I'm sorry, so sorry... It's all my fault... Lan Fan..._


	4. Uncertainty

Chapter 4: Uncertainty

 **(^w^)**

 **Bold:** Xingese

 _Italics:_ Inner thoughts

* * *

He knew. The second a grim-faced man walked in, he knew what had happened. That hadn't made it any easier. He took the blow silently. Burying his face in his hands, he started shaking uncontrollably. The next time he'd see her...

 _The next time I'll see her, she'll be missing her arm. It just won't be there. How could I have let this happen?!_

A sudden thought struck him.

 _The Fürher did this. The leader of this country is the one who put her through this torture in the first place. I'll kill him. He's not even human! He doesn't deserve to be in this world, let alone a king. NO. Not a king. He will never be a true king. Never. I'll show him. I will find the philosophers stone. I will become emperor. And when I do, I will be a true king, and I'll change my country for the better. It'll be difficult, but I'll be the ruler that my father and his predecessors couldn't be. I will get there. I'll make a permanent impact on this world._

Three hours had passed since she went into surgery. Two hours ago, he had been told that his warrior was going to be disabled for the rest of her life. Ed and the colonel, who had found the snack bar and just about everything else in the hospital, had returned an hour ago, only to meet Ling, Riza, and Alphonse, all sitting quietly and not speaking to each other.

"What's going on?" Ed directed his question at Ling, only to receive an answer from Riza.

"They couldn't repair her nerves, so..."

"No..." Ed collapsed into a chair next to Ling. "I- I'm sorry..."

The colonel sat down by Riza.

They sat there for a while, in the midst of an eerie silence filled with emotion.

The rest of the time went by rather quickly, but the silent tension was deafening. Ling jumped as he heard footsteps from the hall. He bolted upright, alerting everyone in the room. A nurse with a clipboard stepped in the room.

"Are you all with the young girl? The one who had an amputation on her left arm?"

Ling nodded, silent.

"They're waking her up. She's allowed one visitor."

Ling nodded again and stood up unheasitantly. He followed the nurse out the door and through a long hallway. They went up some stairs this time, and finally stopped at a plan, unlabeled door. "She's in here."

"O-okay. Thanks."

The nurse walked away without a word.

Ling considered knocking, but thought against it. He hesitantly turned the knob, and the door creaked open.

He didn't know what was restraining him from going deeper into the room. Didn't he want to see his friend? _No._ He answered himself. _I'm not ready. I'll never be ready. I'm cowardly and I can't face her. How could I? She almost died because of me_.

A sudden thought struck him.

 _She doesn't... She has no idea that they removed her arm. She'll probably wake up in total shock...or not. I'm overreacting. She was fully prepared for the fact that she might lose her arm. I just hope she won't blame me... But it's my fault! I can only hope that she'll forgive me and still trust me after all this... The first mistake I make in this country and she almost dies because of it..._

Conflicted, he stepped into the room. Three or so doctors were lingering around, keeping track of Lan Fan's heart rate and breathing. He couldn't see her clearly behind the doctors, so he walked further into the room. A doctor came up to greet him, but Ling pushed past him.

There she was. Sleeping calmly on a crisp white medical bed. She was rather pale and breathing lightly, but Ling hardly noticed. His eyes were focused on the nonexistence of her left arm. Underneath her white blanket, a thick bandage was wrapped around her chest and left shoulder, which was simply a smooth curve with nothing attached.

Ling silently clasped his hand over his mouth and once again collapsed into the nearest chair.

"S..Sir? We're going to wake her up now. Are you...?"

"I'm ready."

A doctor stopped the drip.

They sat there for a few minutes. Ling almost burst with tension. He wanted to see her, lively and awake, but... _ **no**_ _._ He blocked out all of his irrational fears, and focused on the pure relief that she was alive and safe, and that all the pain was over, for now.

* * *

 **Just a quick reminder...**

 **I wrote/published this story all at once, and it was rather a while ago. I might continue it, if you would like me too... Tell me how you like it!**

 **Thank You!**


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